The Journey
by Prismelect99
Summary: Quentin awakes in a strange town, with no memory of how he got there. He quickly meets Link, a castle guard, and becomes entangled in a legendary quest for restoration of the land of Hyrule.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello! This is my first fanfic. I'm really bad at starting off stories, but I hope I can improve later on. I'm open to suggestions and advice but please be easy on me. Don't mind the weird breaks in the story, I'm still trying to figure out how to get the formatting right for this site. This story will follow the basic track for Ocarina of Time, but I've tried to spice things up a bit. Rated M just in case. I'm not planning on getting too graphic but better safe than sorry. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to The Legend of Zelda or its characters.

Quentin- Awakening

I awoke in the early dawn, knowing nothing but a name. Quentin. It resonated, bouncing around my head like it had more to it than just a group of sounds. The bed I found myself in was small, and hard. Cracking sleep encrusted eyes, they swept across the room, seeing a small night stand next to the bed, worn pictures covering the walls and a small chest standing at the foot of the bed. A small window glowed with gentle morning light. The small room was clean and neat, but not lived in. I was in an inn. Suddenly, my nose was assaulted by warm smells coming from a covered tray on the nightstand. My hunger was confirmed by a groaning stomach and, sweeping my legs out from under the covers, I stood and approached the tray. Moving the cover aside, a bowl of porridge with a slice of still warm bread were contained within the tray. The room possessed a quiet tranquility and no one encroached on it as I devoured my food.

Food consumed, I ventured over to the chest, hoping it contained clothes. My current attire was lacking and showing too much skin for my liking. Seeking something more than smallclothes, I opened the chest. The simple latch opened easily and clothes of the finest make awaited me within. Woven deep-blue tunic, tan trousers, a belt and some sturdy new boots, all the perfect size, quickly went on. I wondered for a moment who could have known my measurements, but my attention was quickly diverted to what lay at the bottom of the chest. A sword. Masterfully crafted, the short sword lay scabbarded in a plain sheath atop the worn boards of the box's bottom. It came into my hands easily, like it had been made for me to hold. Pitch-black gemstone-capped pommel molded with a grip of finely braided silver wire, leading up to a winged cross guard. From there, it swept up into a double-edged, gleaming silver blade. Crowning the top was wickedly sharp point. Holding the blade soothed me, like something irreplaceable had been returned after much searching. I had no memories of this blade, yet I knew for certain that it belonged to me and no other. It was something familiar in the strange predicament I now found myself. This sword and a name were all I possessed.

Buckling the sword on, he walked over to the door and opened it, venturing into the hall outside. He seemed to be on an upper floor. Other rooms lined the hall doors closed. Gentle murmurs could be heard coming from most of them. I went down downstairs.

Below was a dining area and bar, empty. Excited voices cried out from beyond the door, beckoning. I found myself in the doorway of the inn just outside the flow of a packed street. The enormous crowd filled the street to bursting. Cheerful faces beamed out from every direction. It was different from most places I had seen… "Did I just remember something?" I murmured. No, it was already slipping away like sand in an hourglass. The street was paved with grey stone holding up well to the thousands of footsteps trod upon it. Many different attractions lined the road, ranging from shops selling anything one could think of, to armorers, to simple food stalls. The people were crying out, trying to attract customers to their shops. Shouts of "my wares are the best in Castletown" were frequently heard. "Castletown" I thought, rolling the name around my head, searching for any connections in my frayed mind. Finding nothing, I continued down the road. Eventually I found myself in a really nice part of the city. Two and three story buildings built from white stone, lined both sides of the street. The architecture was intricate, built on a scale to impress with doors carved with plants and animals. I imagined a contest where homeowners built just to impress their neighbors. Here, the people were much better dressed. Scrutinizing them revealed clothes much like my own. Men strutted about, dignified, heads held high showcasing the latest fashions. The women glided from shop to shop where price tags were much higher for most of the same merchandise I had seen elsewhere. A procession was growing closer and citizens were parting, making way in the wide street for them to pass through. Seeing no other alternative, I decided to watch.

Link- One in a Million

Link sat his horse, smiling pleasantly, but bored. The procession was moving much too slow for his taste. The hot afternoon sun shone down and the smell of himself, and hot horse was growing wearisome. Still, he had a job to do and he would do it well. He scanned the crowd as the Queen's procession moved through Castletown toward the castle itself, ever vigilant to threats. His fellow guards did likewise with some playful banter to keep the boredom at bay. An attack was extremely unlikely… the people's love for the queen was unquestioned. No, their vigilance was for the man riding next to the queen. A desert man, one of the Gerudo, wearing dark leather armor. His red eyes were a hard as his face, except for a smirk as he listened to the queen, as if she was prattling on and he had something better to do. Link disliked the man. A dark man in skin shade and spirit that gave him the chills. Shuddering, Link cast his gaze back out into the crowd and caught sight of a young man who stood out starkly from the rest. He had a deep blue tunic on and dark intelligent eyes. His piercing gaze was out of place amongst the smiling faces of the crowd. This seemed strange to Link, but he had seen foreigners who didn't get caught up in the moment like the crowd before. No, what had somehow caught his attention was the fact that the man had sharp, pointed ears. This was not a foreign trait. Nor was it common even here in Hyrule. While he himself had them, only the royal family possessed them now, though in centuries past they had been more common. Link was a freak in this regard, but this stranger, he was one in a million. Link turned and tapped his fellow guard on the shoulder causing the man to turn and look at him.

"Something's come up," he told the guard who was in command. "An important matter that her majesty would rather look into herself, but can't in…present company." Link had put special emphasis on 'present company' and the commander had caught it, darting a look over at the queen's guest. The commander knew he could trust Link and there were plenty of guards, so he nodded, "alright then, I'll want a report later though, goodness knows we need something interesting to happen around here…"

Quentin- Amnesia?

Watching the Queen's procession move through town, I noticed the man riding next to her. The contrast between a distinctly regal woman and the dark, shriveled man was startling. She chatted amicably, addressing the man and others riding with her, but he just rode erect, a cocky smirk on his face, ignoring her. I instantly hated the man. Sounds of the crowd dropped away and my vision blocked out everything but the desert man. Hatred rose up in me growing hotter and hotter and I felt my hand drifting to the sword on my hip, the urge to kill reddening vision and…

"Now might not be the right time for that, friend." A friendly young voice broke me out of the trance making me jump. Hearing and vision returned easily now that my line of sight had shifted. "Sorcerers look down on us humble swordsmen." The speaker was a man close to my own age, with sandy blonde hair and a mischievous face. His eyes were twinkling with amusement as he stuck out his hand. "Name's Link," he said cheerily, "I'm a city guard" pointing to an insignia etched into his chainmail armor, "are you from around here?"

"I don't actually know," I replied, shaking the proffered hand. "I woke up in an inn with what you see me with and that's it. I do remember my name though. Quentin."

Link felt his eyebrows raise for a moment, "really? Well then you had better come with me to the castle." Link pointed to Quentin's ears, "her majesty will want to speak to you about those, and that man will want you dead for them." Fear shot through me and my hands drifted up of their own accord to move over my ears. "I would prefer her majesty's questions over what the other will do to you. The Gerudo king has his own minions here in Castletown. It really is good fortune that I found you first." I gave a slow nod, thinking. I really didn't have any other choices. With no money or family to go to, the castle seemed like the best place to begin uncovering the past and hopefully regain lost memories. Certainly the castle would have birth records? "I'll go." I said simply. Link nodded and together we made our own way after the receding procession keeping a good distance.

Link- To the Castle

Link did all the talking on the way to the castle. Quentin was listening intently, as Link filled him in on Castletown life. Quentin was an empty vessel ready to be filled with knowledge. Never had Link seen someone with memory loss, but had heard guards talking about how a blow to the head could knock you silly, leaving you in Quentin's condition. They followed along after Queen Marin, and Link talked about the popular shops lining the thoroughfare. As he was distracted by the sights, Link took the opportunity to get a good look at him. Around his own age, with slightly long dark brown hair. Quentin was about the same height as himself. He had the look of city folk around here, mildly soft looking. Definitely not heavily muscled, so not strong….quick was the word that came to his mind. Quentin wasn't so padded and pampered looking like the town folk so he must have come from far off. Most towns around here were prosperous off trade so hunger was almost unheard of. Link really did have a unique ability to fill up the silence. "You've really wound up in the middle of a political crisis," he said animatedly, "You really remember nothing?" he asked, glancing over as they walked on the paving stones. Keeping out of the way as the masses moved back to their business. Link had left his horse with the others in the parade so they would make the journey on foot. Quentin shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing, just a blank before this morning." Link grunted in acknowledgement. Quentin had a clear educated way of speaking, but was quiet as if unsure of himself. "Well anyway," Link continued, "a huge nation to the west has begun making encroachments onto Hylian land. The Gerudo are the aggressors, they attack settlements on the borders and leave none alive. They then blame villagers, saying they are encroaching on their land. The Gerudo have extremely able warriors. The king knows what they are doing, but a war with them would be vicious and lead to the loss of thousands. Instead, he intends to buy them off with trade agreements until something more permanent can be settled."

Quentin nodded, mind trying to keep up as Link explained things that were a little too much to understand with no background in Hylian history. They had left the city proper and were now passing through an enormous meadow filled with long grass waving in the gentle breeze. Small patches of forest spotted the land disturbed only by the brilliant stone path. The path blazed through the lush, emerald grass straight as an arrow to the castle.

The Hylian seat of power was a massive structure defined with six huge spires. Placed like the spokes on a wheel, with high bridges connected to the massive round main body. Most of the castle was built from dazzling white stone unbroken but for windows and the tops of the towers which sparkled with blue tiles. Exuding power, it truly was a mountain, dominating the landscape. A wide moat surrounded the castle, impassable without the drawbridge being lowered on its thick chains. Guards were everywhere, making rounds of the castle grounds ever alert to danger. The drawbridge was down, framing a large archway topped with a solid gold emblem depicting the symbol of the royal family. The sun was sinking below the horizon casting its last light of the day onto the castle's stone making it shimmer welcoming the new arrivals.

Link and Quentin passed under the main portcullis and then through a series of gates, heading toward the main road leading to the castle proper. Quentin seemed to notice the tension and apprehension on the faces of the guards, who were confirming it by their continuous glances toward the easternmost tower. They had the look of men preparing for disaster. Link noticed, "They are preparing for Him to do something terrible." He sighed, "The man gives us all the creeps, like he eats children or something." Link shuddered. The two diverted from the main road, branching off toward the barracks and support buildings. They saw that the previous road lead through a magnificent courtyard, filled with a giant fountain-complete with statuary, to the biggest part of the castle and headed toward

"It will be safe for you in the soldier's barracks until he leaves. I'm sorry but the castle is not safe for you right now." Quentin gave a short nod asking,

"How did you come to be a castle guard?"

Link's face flashed into a grimace, "well my uncle is actually a blacksmith."

"It must be hard on him, losing help like that," Quentin pried.

"Well he raised me. I never knew my parents and he won't talk about them," he paused, avoiding unhappy memories. "Anyway it was actually his idea...mostly, he wanted me to be around the freshest news to help with his business." "You see, well….im sure you can imagine all of the repair work that needs done around here, and well if any of the knights or lords want anything personalized to their liking, he gets first choice. Makes a lot of money that way."

They went on like that for the rest of the morning, sitting across from one another, Quentin asking questions and Link happily answering them. It really was one sided, but Link didn't mind, he was happy to share all the knowledge he possessed. Their talk continued until the guard shift change happened and dozens of new faces entered the barracks.


	2. Chapter 2

Quentin- Duel

My instruction had to be postponed because of the noise. Men called out to their friends and separated into groups to chat, while others unloaded equipment and headed to find something to eat. Link motioned toward the latter and said, "Let's follow them and get something to eat." We stood up from our perches on the simple beds and followed the weary guards.

The kitchens were just a short walk through a small courtyard. A long room, like the barracks, was filled to the brim with long wooden tables, plain benches flanking either side. The room was already crowded, filled with delicious smells and the din of hundreds talking, but Link apparently always had an open spot waiting for him. He seemed to know everyone, and was able to spare a word for each friend he met. It was easy to see that he was well liked and sought after to share stories with. Serving women circulated the room dropping off food and picking up used eating utensils. We didn't need to wait long for our turn and we set upon the food with vigor.

In between bites of stew, I took the time to glance around the room, observing the men around me. No one seemed to mind me being there. Men of all ages, from my own age to upwards of 50 filled the ranks. Loud laughter reverberated around the room in a cacophony of voices. I shifted in my seat to find a more comfortable spot on the bench and had to move my sword out of the way. This brought on the attention of a guard sitting nearby.

"Pretty nice sword you have there!" he said peering down, "are you any good?" Unthinking, I jerked my hand away from the blade, and looked at the man speaking. The guard had friends sitting with him and their attention was also on me. Expectant faces and polite smiles met my eyes as they waited to hear a reply. Link intervened for me, saying,

"He just got here Alan and already you're trying to start a duel?"

The guard-Alan's friends laughed uproariously at the obvious inside joke. Alan jerked his head to look over at Link and then turned back to me.

"Hey, I may be off duty, but I'm always up for a fight." he bragged. I shrugged trying to match his bravado, standing up from my empty bowl. "Practice swords right?" I asked, trying to sound brave.

"Yeah of course, but really if you don't feel like it...it's fine." I smiled, "No I'm able… but I'm a little rusty." I gave what I hoped was a self-deprecating smile and not a look of arrogance, "So go easy on me." Link laid a hand on my shoulder, "good luck!"

Most of the guards followed us outside, not wanting to lose a chance at free entertainment. My opponent and I were given a wide berth and practice swords. The wooden blades were made very well, with a two handed grip, and a perfect balance. Giving it a few test swings gave me a feel for the weight. A ring was established and the signal to start was given.

We began circling each other, feeling for openings. Sweat began to run down my face. I had a sword, so surely I knew how to use it right? But I couldn't remember any sword forms. I was going to look like a fool in front of a whole company of soldiers. I needed to…Alan took my pause of panic rightly for hesitation, and struck, eager to make the first move. He charged in and, with a yell, made a double-handed overhead downswing. Eyes wide with surprise at Alan's speed, I considered turning and fleeing, when a curious sensation swept over me. Time seemed to slow down and I felt a pulse from behind where Link was standing with my real blade. Without further thought, my left arm whipped up and abruptly stopped my opponent's downswing. Alan grunted, immediately launching into another form. He brought his blade back around, to slice across my stomach. I quickly bent forward to avoid the edge and was fully swept up in our mock battle. We danced from form to form, me always on the defensive, unbelieving my good luck so far. I was turning away blow after blow and Alan's face had gone from confident to frustration to fury as his blows were seemingly easily blocked by the soft city boy I appeared to be. He had friends to impress and was working harder and harder to break through my guard. Alan lunged and almost caught me in the ribs with the jab but my body moved out of the way and sent an elbow rocketing out from the side toward his face. Alan narrowly avoided having his face smashed dodging just in time.

My body was alive with the thrill. I had liquid fire blazing through my veins. Sights and sound came faster than usual lending an ease to movement and sight. As we fought, I could see extraordinary detail. I had never been more aware. But nothing was clearer than the sword held in Link's arms. My whole existence focused on that one object. It blazed like the sun to a man kept in the dark. It called to me.

A fresh wave of sweat broke out on my face, running down into unblinking eyes. The strain of ignoring the sword was like a man addicted to poppy seeing a vast supply just for him.

Again and again we clashed our wooden swords together, dancing back and forth in the ring of spectators. The crowd that had once been cheering, now was completely silent in awe as we hacked and slashed at each other. We were both drenched in sweat and finally, the battle concluded. I stumbled and fell to one knee, exhaustion overcoming me. Triumph bloomed on Alan's face as he prepared to point his sword at my throat to signal victory. I panicked, sure that the guard was going to seriously injure me by clubbing me over the head. My own practice sword had fallen from my hand when I fell and I reached out for it, eyes wide in fear, unable to break the gaze of my foe. I noticed too late that a practice blade was not the one I reached out for …

The wickedly sharp blade streaked out from its scabbard across the room into my hand. As soon as it hit my palm, I could feel its glee at being released. The transition from Link's hands to mine had taken only seconds, Alan had yet to lower his arm. My arm swung up inexorably and sliced through his sword so near his hand that I myself let out a cry of alarm. The steel blade whistled through the wood with hardly a pause, as if cutting the air. Alan cursed, jumping back and dropping the ruined stick. He rubbed his hand panting.

"What the hell?" he demanded, looking down at me on the ground. He received no answer, for I was already unconscious.

Link- Guilt

Quentin awoke suddenly in the bed he had been sitting on earlier. He groaned as the earlier episode must have swept over him. A reaction quite natural, as he had almost taken Alan's hand off. He sat up placing a hand to either side of his head, shaking slightly. Link had been nearby, reading as he waited for Quentin to awaken.

"Go easy there." He said concerned, "You've had a rough day. How are you feeling?"

"Horrible!" Quentin groaned, "Mostly from feeling like I've been ran over, but also for almost killing that soldier."

Link snorted, "Well don't worry, you didn't. He'll forgive you." He lied, "besides, it's easy to go from a practice match to a real one. That's the reason why we use blunt, wooden swords and not real ones." He came over and clapped Quentin on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble…but," he paused, looking at Quentin's sword laying on the table, "that is an interesting weapon you have. I was able to sheathe it after the battle, but when the others started talking about locking it up... well…I've never seen a bonded sword before."

"What?" Quentin asked, dread tinging is voice, "Well...it wouldn't let us touch it..." Link stated softly. "What?!" "How could you not pick up a sword?" Link spread his hands and shrugged.

"It burned us." he said simply, "its one of the protections on a blade like that."

"Oh I'm so sorry!" Quentin gasped. Link shrugged, as if it all was no big deal and said, "You were unconscious. Besides, I'm not the one who was burned." Quentin regarded Link strangely. Here was a mock fight gone horribly wrong put together with a magic sword that has a mind of its own, and to top it off, it burns those who try to touch it and he was just shrugging it off. "Well," Link said, "time for bed. We will try to get in to see the Queen tomorrow like I promised."


	3. Chapter 3

Quentin- Nightmare

I was woken by the sounds of crashes outside. An unnatural sense of foreboding came over me. I tried to fight the feeling saying "It's just thunder," and it was but there were crashes that, while they sounded the same, were much louder. I jumped out of bed and pulled on my blue tunic and the rest of my clothes. I hesitated to touch the sword, afraid of being burned, but it was cool to the touch. I had a feeling that I would need it.

I strode over to the bunk where Link was still asleep and shook him awake. His eyes fluttered open and were confused for a moment, probably wondering why I was waking him at night. I put my finger to my lips in the universal signal for quiet and he nodded. Motioning for him to get dressed, he obeyed, sensing that something was off. The barracks were completely empty, devoid of any signs of life. Shadows flickered over the walls, coming from the two lamps burning. Lightning flashed off and on through the windows, briefly illuminating the room. Clothing and blankets we scattered across the room, creating the impression of everyone leaving in a hurry. Dread stole over me, my body sensing that something wasn't right. A strange metallic smell filled the air, blowing in through the windows. I had smelled something like it before…but the memory slipped away. I was startled out of my musings by a bang on the door. It had come between blasts of thunder and was quite loud in the abandoned room. I looked over at Link, who by now was ready. He nodded. We crept over to the door, drawing swords, mine gleamed in the dark, his a standard issue longsword probably made his uncle. The catch turned as we got near and fell open with a crash as it hit the wall behind it. A badly injured man fell to the floor, bleeding from dozens of wounds.

At first, I thought the man had already died. But he still showed signs of life, and as a testament to the fact his eyes fluttered open weakly. I grabbed a nearby article of cloth and held it to the man's most obvious wound.

"What has happened?" Link demanded. The man coughed, spilling blood down from the corners of his mouth. His body had a brief spasm before murmuring,

"Monsters. Demons everywhere." Link looked up at me, disbelief clear in his eyes. "Killed everyone" he coughed again, noticeably weaker this time, "all is lost, the King is dead." Link let out a cry of anguish, his world falling apart around him. He fell on his bottom from where he had been crouching on his haunches. I only stared, it made no sense. How could all this have happened while we were asleep?

"You have to...you have to find the queen." a long pause followed and I thought that he had left us but he gained strength to whisper softly, "He brought them." A long slow breath escaped his lips and he was gone.

Link- Through the Battlefield

Link laid the man's head down on the floor gently and stared at his bloody hands as if they belonged to someone else. The guard's name had been Allen, and Link hadn't missed the "him" at the end of the man's sentence. The desert man. All of this was brought about by THAT man.

"I have to go" he said, rising to his feet. "You should find somewhere to hide."

"No!" Quentin replied sharply, "you aren't leaving me behind. We have a better chance of surviving together. You need someone to guard your back."

"We don't even know what's waiting for us out there." Link protested. "You seem to know your way around that blade but I can't protect you if things go bad."

"Look," Quentin said firmly, "I have no memory of where I'm from or who I am. I have nowhere else to go." He paused frowning, "Besides, I might be able to help somehow."

Link nodded, accepting the truth in his statements. He was glad to have someone here anyway. "Keep up and yell if there's trouble." Taking one last look around at the relative safety of the barracks, they ran out into the night.

Quentin-Blood

Outside blood soaked everything. Bodies of guards and servants littered the ground, hundreds of them, and not all of them whole. Arms and legs and heads had been hewn from bodies and tossed aside. Only a few dead monsters remained to mark what had caused all of the carnage. One beast had a hideous, pig like face on huge, and a man-shaped body. Another was a huge wolf like creature, but shaped wrong, made to stand on hind legs to be as tall as a man. Many were already decaying, filling the air with the smell of rotten meat. The pig monsters were covered in rotten pieces of leather that somehow passed for armor. Dead faces still snarling. The wolf creature had razor-like teeth still clutching a mutilated arm. I heard retching behind me and didn't shame my friend by watching. Truth be told, I didn't know why I wasn't emptying my stomach as well. I must have been in shock. The rain was pouring down in sheets, washing the blood and gore to rivulets between the bricks of the courtyards. Seeing no one alive, we ran on until we had reached the main castle.

The massive gates leading in were smashed to pieces and charred black. Inside the dead were charred black and more even more numerous. This must have been the first line of defense against the monsters. Here the dead monsters were greater in number than outside, most likely due to the close press to get in through the gates. Most of the soldiers had been lancers, but the weapons had snapped from the force of enemies pushing relentlessly forward.

We made our way through the dead, stepping gingerly over our own. The smell was worse inside, with fresh air to freshen it. Torches still flickered along the walls, although some had been broken off in the struggle. We followed the progress of the enemy, down blood soaked halls and past torn tapestries rich with the history of Hyrule. Terror kept my eyes scanning the dark rooms on either side of the hall. The walls were lined with alcoves filled with treasure. Most were gold, but some were what seemed like art pieces from the different tribes of the land. Under the blood that streaked and splattered the walls, the white stone was dazzling. It must have cost the income of several small countries to have had it quarried and transported. Something caught my attention. Link had been leading and hadn't seen me stop. In front of me, in an alcove, stood a beautiful golden statue worked to depict a woman standing with outstretched hands. She possessed an angelic smile, offering a deep blue ocarina nestled in velvet. The instrument shimmered within a light blue aura, beckoning me. Link's footsteps were already far down the hall and with no time to think, I snatched it and put it in the inside pocket of my tunic. I would have to wring some answers about that later. The ocarina radiated the sort of importance greater minds than mine would need to decipher. I quickly caught up to Link, having to pour on all the speed I possessed. We were in the guest quarters now. Link explained over his shoulder, "this is a short cut, hopefully we can avoid any leftover enemies." He panted, "clearing the castle will have to come later, the Queen is much more of a priority."

We passed by a great number of guest rooms and stopped to look in one. We would later regret it, as the scene was one that would be seared into our minds forever.

A visiting noble had come and had brought his family with him. Two smaller goblin-like creatures were dead on the floor having been disemboweled, but it was clear he could not have stood against the great pig-like beast that followed. "Mobin!" Link spat, looking away in disgust. "I just remembered what they're called." He motioned with his sword at the smaller creatures, "Bokoblins. I though these were just children's stories meant to frighten us. I never thought…" Link's gaze had drifted over to the noble. The man had been impaled upon the wall with his own lance, and made to watch his family killed as he died. The wife was stretched out as if reaching for something, her fingers almost touching a glistening pulp that must have been a child. She had been stabbed on the ground repeatedly and was in a pool of her own blood. It was my turn to vomit, which I accomplished admirably.

"They won't get away with this." Link vowed through clenched teeth. "I swear it."

"After seeing this, I don't have much hope of finding anyone alive." I muttered, wiping the back of my hand across my mouth. A snarl in the hallway snapped our heads up. We shared a look, both of us dreading meeting a living nightmare.


	4. Chapter 4

Link- Encounter

A moblin was coming down the hall. It was bent over, its pig-like nose snuffling around near corpses checking for movement. It must have thought it sensed life, for it jumped back and slammed its red tasseled spear into the nearest body. It let out a cruel chuckle at its own jumpiness and pulled the weapon free with a wet sucking sound. It continued down the hall toward us Quentin and I, poking along as it went.

It must have lagged behind the others, perhaps hoping to enjoy killing off any survivors. Link was glad they would have some warning. Time to prepare. It was still a good distance down the hall and had little chance to hear anything louder than a whisper.

"It's a moblin," Link whispered, motioning for Quentin to stay quiet. He hoped he didn't have the same panicked look on his face. He was supposed to be in charge. Link had only had basic training, stuff like how to assemble and procedures on preparing for sieges. None of the instructors had given any advice on how to deal with monsters. "It's big, but we can take it. It'll wait for you to get close and try to stick you with the spear. The attack will be slow but powerful, no way that think can move fast with its bulk. I doubt mail would stop it," and looking down at their tunics, "neither will these. Dodge, if you get too close, he'll might grab you and then it's all over. I saw it wearing metal spikes on its knuckles. We don't want to be hit with those. Link risked another glance down the hall to gauge distance. "Foul creature." He whispered. Quentin nodded looking scared, but ready.

"Come on, and stay low." Link said. They both took a few deep breaths and sprinted down the hall straight for the enemy.

The Moblin looked surprised to see two people on their feet, and even more so to see them charging toward it. It bellowed in triumph at live prey and lowered its spear, ready to meet them. The hall was wide, but not wide enough for both of them to circle behind it. Both were left-handed and Quentin was forced to meet it head on while Link rolled under the forewarned spikes. The beast's beady eyes fixed on Link was he dove under its spear, seeing the castle guard's attire, it figured it would kill him. It sliced the air in front of Quentin, missing, and spun to face Link. It had plates of rusted iron as armor, instead of rotten leather like its kin outside. Link had rolled behind the moblin and come up expecting to see a wide back and easy target. Planning to slash the straps holding the armor in place, he wasn't prepared to meet beady eyes full of hate. The moblin roared in his face and went for a punch, ugly hand shooting forward, aiming for his face.

Quentin-Blooded

I saw Link about to get his face ripped off and frantically aimed for a chink in the moblin's armor right at the knee, hoping to throw the beast's aim. The wicked sharp blade shot through the air, plunging straight into the creature's knee. I was braced, expecting resistance but met none as my blade shot straight through the moblin's armor through bone and gristle. It was like carving butter. My balance was lost on the dark congealing blood on the marble, and smacked my face off the nearest

armored plate.

Link was quick to see my lunge and the resulting blood spraying from the severed limb. I imagined the moblin's eyes going wide in shock, unsure how an ant could have harmed it. It fell forward, off balance and Link jumped back out of the way. He saw an easy kill and prepared to slash down at the creature's neck. Instead I heard him yelp as the Moblin snatched at his ankle to pull him down with it. The beast meant to take at least one of us with it at the very least. Its' lethal attention was solely focused on Link and was paying no attention to me. Its fury must have driven it to single minded intensity with one focus, to kill Link anyway it could. It had succeeded in pulling Link down and was dragging him closer, mouth open in a snarl. It meant to rip off a chunk of my friend's leg with its teeth. I hurriedly stood, braced my footing and brought my gleaming silver blade down on the neck of the creature and sliced the head clean off. The sword made a wet chunk as it cleaved through spine and lodged into the stone floor, where it stuck. I stood there panting, blood running down my face from a small cut where my head had bounced off its armor plates. I was shaking from relief that I had saved Link in time from a horrible wound.

"I bounced my face off of its back." I said, shaking my head. "I expected more resistance from the armor."

"That is one sharp sword!" Link said, making a sound of approval and staring at the blade lodged in the stone floor in a pool of blood and viscera. "It surely would have had my leg off with those teeth." He kicked the corpse, "it happened so fast, I had no time to do anything before…" he cut off, frowning at my sword.

Looking at the sword, covered in blood, I began to shake. The thought of having to face death like that again and again…Link saw me quivering and put a hand on my shoulder. "Your head okay?" he asked, avoiding the more obvious question of whether I was breaking down. He extended a bandage he had pulled from a pouch at his waist. I nodded accepting the proffered bandage and pushed it against my bleeding head and bent down to retrieve my sword. I gasped, stunned at the sight of an obsidian blade. Gleaming black, instead of its' normal silver. Link spun from his inspection of a nearby body. I was surprised to see the blade had turned as black as onyx. The dead moblin had filled the hall with blood, but a small area where the blade lay was completely dry. Our eyes met with the same bewildered look before returning to the strange artifact. Looking closer, we saw a rivulet of blood started moving toward the edge of the blade. It flowed over the dry floor and was drawn into the black metal. I felt the sword pulse like a beat of a heart. Bending down, I reached toward the blade and it stopped its drinking and leapt into my hand. I jumped, trying to drop it but it stuck to my hand. We watched, the onyx blade glistening wetly, as it began elongating, gaining a few inches in length. The sword had begun that morning as a short sword, now it was well on its way to being a long sword. Its' surface suddenly gleamed with an inner light and then my weapon slipped back to its brilliant silver. The sheath at my waist shuddered, urging me to return the blade. I did, noting the longer sheath. I had toyed with the notion that the blade had taught me how to use it but was suddenly overcome with dread at the thought of the price of that knowledge.

Link cleared his throat, loud in the unnatural silence and said, "We'll talk about that later." It took much effort to tear his eyes from the sword, "We need to find the queen and get some answers." He couldn't keep the shudder out of his voice.

We ran on through the nightmarish corridor, heading toward the throne room. As I strugged to keep up with my extremely fit friend, it suddenly occurred to me to wonder why the sword hadn't helped at all in the moblin skirmish. It hadn't responded in any way during the fight. Something horrible dawned on me. Maybe it didn't work on evil creatures? The thought that the unique sword would only work on innocent humans was too much to bear. I stumbled to a stop, almost running into Link. We had reached the throne room.


	5. Chapter 5

Link-Seat of the King

The once radiant throne room was now filled with carnage on a grand scale. To Link's eyes, the scene was easy to read. His majesty the king had been surrounded by soldiers when the attack began. The beasts arrived, coming against steel barred doors. They would have had to burst through those first to get at the men inside. There was no better defensible position in the castle for foes who had breached the walls. The numbers of the enemy were too great to throw back. An audience chamber truly fit for a powerful king, the room was vast, rectangular in shape, and adorned with enormous tapestries which clothed the room in splendor. Slender pillars carved in fantastic designs and ancient deeds, filled in with gold, lined the carpet on either side. Beside each pillar stood a suit of knight's armor alternating between a pure dazzling white, and glossy black. A scarlet carpet ran the length of the room all the way to the massive golden throne. Towering over the whole room on its raised dais was the seat of the king. It was carved with dragons and flowering vines, made out of the same stone as the castle. Blood had splattered over the beautiful chair and spread out in a sticky pool from its host, who still sat upon it.

Things had not gone well with his king. With all of his soldiers and guards slain, he appeared to have fought up the great stairs, keeping the high ground. His majesty had taken a grievous wound and had backed into and sat on the throne where he died covered in vicious wounds. The beasts must have left him there, in a sick mockery of a court meeting.

It occurred to Link that there were no slain enemies in sight. There was no evidence present of what had done all of this.

"Over here!" Quentin called from somewhere across the room. He had maneuvered over the dead to a set of small but magnificently carved wooden doors. Link quickly ran to join him and saw what had led Quentin in this direction. Darkly glistening smears indicated something being dragged through the doors. But as they approached the doors, Link heard the sound of heavy metal-clad feet. He spun, trying to locate where the sound was coming from. An icy chill shot down his spine as he saw that all of the black suits of armor were clanking toward them. They had left their places along the walls, drawing swords, their helmet visors emanating a dull red light from eyes hidden within. Some were close enough for Link to make out the dried stains on the silver blades. "Quentin!" he gasped out. Quentin had also turned at the first sound. "I think I know what k-killed everyone here." He stammered.

Quentin- Iron Knuckles

Lightning flashed through the windows high up in the walls, illuminating the apparitions. I counted ten. Eight were spreading out to surround us, while the remaining two moved to block off the doors and our escape. I drew my weapon, feeling dread fill the room. Odds were against us. With a body strewn, slippery floor, not to mention almost no light, we had our work cut out for us. "We need to spread out so we don't hack each other to pieces." I said moving away, "I, I'm n-not the most experienced fighter. H-have you seen anything like this before?" Moments away from a painful death, I couldn't keep my voice from shaking. "No," he replied, groaning. "There's no way out," they were getting closer, "try to split them up." With that, he ran away from me, miraculously taking half the suits of armor with him. I was left with my four.

The foe was within range to attack with their blood encrusted swords. They moved with a lumbering slowness, and their strikes were slow as well. One from my right attacked first. I stepped to the side, pivoting to avoid and felt a stink on my face as stone chips flew up from where its sword had struck the ground. 'Slow but very strong,' I thought, deflecting a blow from my left. As the phantom armor's blade hit mine, pealing like a struck bell, I felt only half the force I should have from a blow similar to the others. It must have felt the full force though, for it stumbled back. While that one was off balance, another thrust straight for my chest. I twisted to the right, swinging my sword down through the metal plates with only slight resistance. There was a loud clang as the severed arm hit the ground with sword in hand. The suit fell forward off balance and I had to jump back to keep it from falling on top of me. The others stepped over it and advanced with evil intent. A blow came from my right, aiming my right shoulder. I blocked and avoided a stab from my left. Again, the center foe went for a lunge into my chest. This time, I dodged the blow, and, instead of chopping through the arm, I ran my sword straight into its chest. A sharp crack sounded as my blade pieced the armor plates and I could hear a slight sigh as the lights went out of its eyes. I had to leave the blade and jump back as death came from both sides at once. I landed ungracefully on top of disgusting, but soft, bodies. No way would I have been able to dodge that attack. Getting to my feet revealed the armless armor approaching with the others, now wielding a sword with its' opposite hand. Now faced with three and no weapon. I turned and ran, jumping over the dead bodies. I hoped the dead would slow the suits down. Wet crunches coming from behind told a different story. I veered the left and circled behind to get my weapon back. Relentless, they came after me, but thankfully their movement was slow. I reached the first slain enemy and tugged my sword out. It slid from the metal plates easily showing a black blade. It had stretched out again to the same length as last time and stayed its obsidian color. The room had been dark, but now I couldn't see my sword. I approached the enemy feeling like I was unarmed.

Link- Why don't they die?

As Link had run away from Quentin, he had swung down and picked up a metal kite shield. He didn't wait for them to come to him. The animated armor was mostly in a straight line still. He ran to the first suit planning on taking them in a row before they could surround him. It moved at a slow walk until it reached him, stopped and brought its gleaming sword in from the side. Link ducked under the blade and it passed with a gust over his head. He jumped to his feet and the shield forward with his shoulder in his attacker. It went back a step, and Link swung his sword down hard where the helmet met torso. His sword cleaved through the weak spot and sank deep. In fact, it went too deep, as if the torso of the suit was empty. He frantically pulled at his sword, kicking at the armor to help knock it loose. The others were close, and he needed the blade to parry. His sword came loose with a screech of metal on metal. No blood came from the fatal wound. The armor toppled forward, causing Link to step back. Well that he did, as a silver blade would have plunged into his neck. With two now on his left, the other on his right, he attacked the lone armor. He brought his shield up at the blow came from the side. The force of the swing dented the shield. He cried out as the force transferred from the metal to his arm. He staggered back, whipping his sword around, trying to take its' arm off. His sword rebounded as it hit one of the thick plates of metal. Clanking behind Link served as a stark reminder of two more enemies. Three more, he noted, seeing the suit he had almost cleaved in half getting to its' feet. His breath heaved as fear gripped him. Something animated these suits. No human flesh moved them, and as he could now see, no wound would stop them. Older holes from weapons and notches from deflected sword strokes in the armor now became clear the more he examined. Dark reminders of the rooms slaughtered resistance. Shadows lay deep on the room, only a few torches sputtering and the intermittent lightning to illumine. Link continued to move away, the heavy suits lumbering after him. He could see no way out, other than joining the men on the ground.


	6. Chapter 6

Quentin- A Way?

I stood there, walking nightmares approaching. So far, I had easily sliced through an arm, but had failed to defeat the monster. Thrusting my unique blade through one's chest had done the trick, however. Thinking of getting that close felt as if a hand was clutching my heart. I didn't know if it would try to grab me, and I didn't delude myself with thoughts of escape if it did. Time ran out for thought on the matter as the demons were upon him. Three blades, one from the either side with a thrust toward my shoulder streaked through the air.

This was it. Death had arrived for me. With no way to dodge, all I could think about was if it would be quick. My obsidian blade pulsed twice, like a heartbeat, and time slowed to a blur. My body dropped to the floor in a crouch, one hand planted in something nasty. Blades whistled through the air above my head. With no thought on my part, my left hand whipped up in an arc, taking all three arms off. Swords and armor clattered to the floor around me. Awareness returned to normal and I was left off balance from the swing and I fell forward, sword-gripping hand falling into a puddle of ruby liquid. The sword shuddered in my death grip, drinking in the blood, drying the floor. The sword shook in my hand, again growing longer. I stood, unsure whether to marvel or be sickened by the strange artifact. Urged by my swords' battle sense, or whatever it was, I ducked. A blade passed over my head and I spun yelling in fear and rage and sliced all the way through my attacker killing it. The halves toppled to the stone floor in a clatter. Turning as fast as I could, I desperately caught a blade on mine, sword jerking in my hands, and pushed the suit's blade back away from me. The armor was knocked of balance, and taking advantage of the lapse, I drove my sword into its chest, drawing the life from it. This time seeing the faintly black, sinister aura flow from the rent in the armor into my sword. The blade slid easily out and it acted on its own. Forgetting the last one cost me. I turned just in time to see the silver blade slice into my side. I let out a cry of agony, the pain blasting thought away. It drew the blade away slowly, leaving a hand length gash. Blood gushed out when the sword left the wound. I pressed my hand against it, trying to stop the flow of blood. I stumbled back and tripped over a body. I fell hard, letting go of my sword. The blade refused to leave me however and stuck to my palm. The dark armor stepped up to stab downward, planning to finish me off. I closed my hand on my sword and swung what strength I could summon, cleaving through both legs. It toppled to the floor on my right. I went up on my right elbow and stabbed through its visor. Its eyes dimmed as I absorbed its aura.

Falling back, I stared at the far off roof thinking the end was near. Blood was pouring out from the gash in my side. My heart fluttered weakly in my chest and the roof was getting blurry. Head lolling to the side, I saw my blood drifting over toward my sword. 'Great' I thought, 'now it's going to absorb me too.' The blood made contact with the blade and it began to pulse, like some twisted version of what my own should have sounded like. The sound was strong and healthy sounding. It glowed faintly as my life's blood was sucked into it. The beating heart-like pulses from my sword sounded louder, and began beating faster. My own heart felt slow and weak, unable to keep pumping. The room, while alright too dark, began to dim. 'Why wouldn't the sound go away?' 'Couldn't I have peace at the end?' thought passed sluggishly in my blood starved brain. Louder and louder the sound grew until it reached an unbearable crescendo. The pulsing stopped leaving almost complete silence. I watched the sword begin a dull red. The color seeped down the blade, into the grip, and began crawling toward my hand. When it reached my flesh, powerful heat blazed over my hand and wrist and moved up my arm. It reached my chest and spread. The agony had receded from my death blow, now it blazed up again. I screamed. My wound felt like a hot iron was being pressed into it. Fire from my sword had spread throughout my entire body. I writhed on the ground, one hand gripping the magic sword, the other making a fist. I pulled furiously at my tunic trying to get it lifted up. I got it up and scanned the area expecting to see crispy black charred flesh. Instead I saw a pink line where the ugly gash had been. Clarity returned and I felt energy course through me. I climbed unsteadily to my feet and held the sword in front of me. The red glow quickly faded and the sword shrank back to normal size. The obsidian faded back into the metal and it shimmered back to silver.


	7. Chapter 7

Link-Lucky Bastard

Link saw no way out. The doors were blocked. His blade did nothing to the enemy. His arm throbbed, sending waves of pain down into his hand and up his arm. He had dropped his shield, the weight unbearable. He could do nothing to do but fall back avoiding the bodies littering the floor and keep the blades away from him. It was a losing fight. He could only stay ahead of them until he was too fatigued and was too slow to block the next blow. He had seen Quentin go down and felt a pang of sorrow. Link hadn't known Quentin long but he sensed he was a good person. Link had dragged him to an early death. He blocked another strike, slower this time. Something began glowing red just out of sight. It was easy to pick out in the near total dark room. Located over where Quentin had fallen, the glow was getting brighter. Sweat dripped into his eyes. He ignored it in favor of stopping the steel blades from removing things he needed. Indeed, he did almost lost something when he jerked in surprise at hearing Quentin's scream. Horror filled him as images of Quentin being tortured played in his head. 'Why couldn't they just end it?' he thought. 'Are we in for slow deaths after all?'

Link risked a glance over his shoulder, eyes widening as he saw no one stabbing his friend. His eyes darted back in forth searching for any enemies. He saw none. Quentin was climbing to his feet, patting himself all over seemingly searching for wounds and finding none. Link smiled, turning back to his work.

Quentin- An End

I finished patting myself down and found no injuries. Turning, I saw Link was having a very bad time. All four of his foes were advancing after him, slashing at every opening. I marveled at his skill. As I ran toward him, I could see him scoring hit after hit. Normal foes would have all been long dead. His attacks however, were ineffective. I reached the armor in the back and leapt forward, coming down on one foot, plunging my sword into its back where the heart would be. The blade slipped in and out with hardly a pause. It crashed to the ground, drawing the attention of the others. I didn't pause to watch the absorption. Link was given a break as they all stopped, sensing a greater threat-something that could harm them. Three suits of hacked up armor, riddled with dozens of punctures turned to regard me. I brought my sword up ready to block. Far off heavy footsteps spoke of the door guardians finally joining the fight. I inhaled deeply, shouting "you have to stab them in the heart!" I closed my mouth and gritted my teeth, fear gone, only fury remaining. These things need to die! I took the initiative, darting under the first slow, but powerful blade, knocking aside a second. I came up behind them, planning to attack from behind. My foot caught on a limp form and I fell.

"No!" Link shouted, coming out of from the shadows. Ringing filled the air as he intercepted the attack meant for me. I heard him grunting as he struggled to throw back the armor. I got up as fast as I was able, and cleaved through a metal arm before it could come down on him. I completed the stroke and sent my sword streaking on a new course, forward into its heart. Spinning, I saw Link fending off the armor who had yet to attack, leaving him open to the other one. His breath came in gasps. Exhaustion was outlined in every movement.

I left him to fend off his opponent and set my attention to mine. It had fallen from Link's struggle and was just now getting to its feet. I knocked the sword aside contemptuously and chopped its head off. Each time I slayed an enemy my sword pulsed once as it absorbed the aura. This time was no different. "Move!" I yelled, turning toward Link. He knocked one last stroke away and dove out of the way, leaving it wide open for me. Leave no opportunity untaken, I lanced out, quick as a snake, taking it in the heart.

Link climbed to his feet panting. He gasped out, "let's work together on the stragglers." I nodded. The room, being huge, had given us plenty of time to finish the suits of armor now lying at our feet. The remaining monsters were lumbering toward us, slow but relentless. Luckily for us, they were coming from opposite sides of the room, letting us fight one at a time. We approached one, and its dull red eyes seemed focus on me. "It wants a piece of you," Link remarked, seeing the thing's gaze. He had recovered slightly, death's door a little farther away at the moment. In range now, the armor brought it's sword down, allowing me to easily chop its head off.

"Wow!" Link said sounding almost cheery, "now I know why they left these at the door, they're stupid!" The other one was almost upon us. I ran to the side and Link simply bent, picked up a shield from the ground, and hurled it at the demon. It predictable brought its sword up to defend. I ran toward it placing it on my left and, not stopping, swung full force into its torso. My blade cleared the monster and pulsed, signaling the death of the last fiend.


	8. Chapter 8

Link-The Queen

"Holy Fucking Shit!" Link cried out, laughing in sheer relief. "I can't believe we are still alive." He lifted his sword. It was riddled with nicks, the blade dulled by repeated hits on solid metal. "My uncle's sword is ruined. I hate to do this but…" he began walking in a small circle searching the ground for something. "Most blades here are my uncles' work…and there isn't any better. I really hate to steal from the dead but going without a weapon….here…" He needn't finish that thought.

"I understand completely." Quentin stated. His voice sounded light, joy at life still elevating his spirit. A dark and gory room would fix that. "That sword of yours is wonderful!" Link called, a little further away now. "My own did nothing…it must have needed magic to defeat those, those, ahh," he made an exasperated sound in his throat, "things." "ahh!" he exclaimed. "Here we are." Quentin turned to see Link pull the blade out and test it. "It's brand new!" Link, seemingly pleased with his success let his head fall forward and he stood shaking. Quentin approached intending to reach out to him but stopped, hearing him say, "I'm happy to be alive and my friends and comrades lay torn to pieces all around me. Not to mention Him!" he yelled pointing toward the king. 'I thought that my whole reason for living was to serve that man and his family and now what? NOW WHAT?!' Link let out a shuddering breath, regaining some composure. He was exhausted and frayed but his outburst reminded him, 'Family?' he turned looking toward the door they had seen earlier. 'The Queen!'

He ran over, hearing Quentin following silently behind. Link kicked open the doors, not caring to be quiet anymore and strode into the hall beyond, eager to find some signs of life in a castle that had become a crypt. It was not to be.

"No!" Link choked out, "My Lady!" he ran to the edge of the room where the queen lay among a pile of bodies. A dozen handmaidens had thrown themselves at the attackers, trying to turn their own bodies into shields. Some had knives, but they would have been no help. There had been no holding back the tide of evil and all lay brutally slain. The short hall lead to the living quarters of the Royal Family. Layered in purple carpet, the hall was filled with windows, their crystal panes now littering the floor. The wind and rain howled in, soaking everything and lending a chill to the grisly scene. Quentin stopped just inside the doors behind him, a defeated slump to his shoulders, and spoke up softly, "There was never any way for us to make it here in time…not with those things outside waiting for us." He spoke softly, with great care. "I'm sorry Link." His condolences died as he spoke them as as Queen Marin shuddered.

Quentin- Our Charge

The queen had been lying flat on the floor when we entered, but Link bent to gently lift her to an upright position. It hurt to look at her. She had been beaten for sport and given a mortal wound in her abdomen. It took a long time to die from some of those wounds. Her eyes were unfocused until I came near and she gained enough clarity to speak.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "sorry you had to see so much carnage again so soon." I nodded, unsure what she meant, not wanting to confuse her in her last moments. She continued, looking at Link now, "you must find my daughter." "It skipped my generation, but shines on in her." Tears ran down Link's face. "My queen. What skipped you?" I had went down on one knee on the other side of the dying woman and made a motion at him. He looked over at me and I shook my head. I could see he understood. He let her speak.

The queen's eyes had unfocused again barely clinging to life. She whispered out, "She has gone on...gone on with Impa...heading for Kakariko village. Find her and protect her... a passage lies behind a mirror in my chambers. It will lead you out past the moat." she took one last shaky breath, "he will want her for his own ends. You must not let him have her!" Her hand, which had been clasping Link's wrist, fell away and Queen Marin sank back into Link's arms, who held her gently. She was on her way, to join her waiting husband in death.


	9. Chapter 9

Link-The Way Out

Link stood looking down at the body, mourning the passing of a great monarch. He had grown up wishing for a spot here in the guards, nothing was more honorable than protecting the King so he in turn could protect his people. His whole life had consisting of training for this and now it had been pulled out from underneath him. But now he had a new mission. Helping to secure the line of succession, hopefully keeping war from breaking out as petty Lords fought to become the next King. Link's train of thought screeched to a stop and he backtracked. Find the princess and keep her safe. That was priority number one. But finding the man who did this and killing him. Well that idea was just as important now.

Quentin-Out of the Frying Pan…

We stood in the hall, rain coming in from the windows, diluting blood, and causing red rivulets across the floor, where the carpet didn't devour it. I left Link to his own thoughts, not certain how to comfort, or even if he wanted me to say anything. I stood with one hand on the pommel of my sword as it hung from my right side. Thumb rubbed the gem absently as I peering back into the throne room. Wondering what else was waiting for us.

The throne room began to glow with a sickly green light. Shadows were pushed back-lending a yellow tint to the raw, red wounds and the blood sprayed across the walls. Link turned, peering back into the throne room, a look of apprehension on his face. "What's that?" he asked quietly. Lances of bright green lightning sprouted in answer to his question. They appeared from the air several spans from the floor, slowly revolving in a circle. An area of cleared floor they hadn't noticed before was struck repeatedly, carving a charred circle into the ground. Some strikes hit the ground and shot out until they hit a wall, causing damage. We definitely did not want to be hit by one of those. I prepared to turn and run, when I attention was seized by a dark cloud forming in the circle. A rumbling filled the room, sound bouncing off the stone walls, growing louder. I was just about to open my mouth to ask, "Shouldn't we be going?" when two dark forms materialized out of the cloud. Similar to the suits of armor we had defeated earlier, these instead carried a giant war hammers. And they weren't alone for long. The sound of metal footsteps grew louder and louder as four more stepped out. An evil intelligence emanated from dark helmets as they surveyed the room. The two in the back turned, like they were speaking back into the cloud. I pondered at this, as I could hear nothing in the all but silent room. My answer emerged from the cloud with an arrogant stride. The desert man.

He wore the same dark leather armor studded with yellow gems. Thick looking gauntlets covered his arms almost up his elbows. The back of each hand had a large yellow gem in the center. I could see a fading green luminescence coming from each. The portal behind him went dark and collapsed. The desert man's guardians prodded corpses and nudged the cracked shells of their brethren.

Fear closed at my throat, choking me. He must know that someone had come through here. Why else would he come back to a room full of corpses? We were no match for someone like him. I looked to Link to see his eyes as wide as mine and we silently withdrew down the hall. We had to get out of the castle or we were dead.

We used the thunder to hide out footfalls, but they could be after us at any moment. When we got far enough away to be sheltered from enemy eyes and ears we ran.

Link-The Passage

Link ran down the hall with Quentin, his mind racing through possible escape routes. 'Nothing, there was nothing!' he thought, 'I've never been in this side of the castle!' There wasn't any doubt in Link's mind they were heading across one of the bridged toward a tower. There was no way out except the way they had come. It was a protection against invaders and assassins. No doors and no windows to climb from, the latter an exception but only on higher levels. Queen Marin's last words came back to mind, "a passage behind a mirror in my chambers."

They reached the royal apartments, opened the doors and slipped inside quietly. The desert man knew if someone was alive, this was the place to look. He could be here in moments.

The royal apartments were of course luxurious. A circular room encompassing the entire bottom floor of the southern tower. Couches and sitting chairs gathered around expensive tables. Bright lamps added cheer to the room. The state of the room at the moment was less than desirable. It was no longer inviting. Everything inside had been smashed and ransacked. Silks and other priceless cloth lay torn and scattered everywhere. Something had taken an axe to the enormous bed, hacking it to splinters. All had been wrecked, except for a brilliant, polished silver, mirror. Two spans tall and three wide, it was a piece of art. Etchings around the frame drew the eye. Hand-sized images of people playing the ocarina in different settings repeated around the edge. Here, a woman playing in the forest on a stump, there sitting on a fountain. The settings looked endless and it was a masterwork. He did a quick search around the edges looking for a catch or latch that would allow him reveal the passage behind. The search revealed that the mirror was part of the wall and not just something hung up. Also, that it was way too heavy to move away from the wall even if they could. Going back and taking a closer look at the surface, Link could see a musical scale repeated over and over, added as a texture. The ocarina was not a popular instrument and he couldn't read music anyway. He called Quentin over, "does any of this mean anything to you?"

Quentin-A Song?

I ran over to inspect the mirror. Link went to take my place guarding the door saying, "There are musical notes there if you look closely."

'Musical notes?' I thought, squinting at the tiny etchings. I made out eleven different notes before coming to the realization that I could in fact read them. I felt suddenly hot, fresh sweat breaking out on my forehead and palms. I reached into the inside pocket of my tunic and withdrew the deep blue ocarina I had looted earlier. I knew why now. I had been led to do it. Somehow. I slowly lifted it to my lips, feeling the coolness of it. I inhaled softly and played the quickly memorized notes.

As the warm notes flowed out from the instrument, I marveled at them. Even with my memory loss, I knew I had never heard anything so beautiful. Its sound seemed to be a perfect idea, something all others could only copy in poor imitation. It filled the room, drowning out Link's curses at the noise. Even in the face of certain death, I still would have died to hear that song.

Link ran over to join me, not even looking at ocarina in my hands. His attention was on the mirror. It had begun radiating blue light. The glow moved from the edges toward the center of the mirror. When the shimmering light made to the middle of the mirror, it flashed, revealing a passage into darkness. Not hesitating a moment, they stepped through. The portal behind them began shimmering and turned solid black, sealing them inside.


	10. Chapter 10

Link-The Long Walk

Before the light had disappeared completely, Link had spotted a dusty table just inside with an old lantern. He had quickly strode over and lit it with the flint striker lying next to it. Pale yellow light pooled around them, illuminating a good four spans all around them. This was no problem as the tunnel was just wide enough for three abreast, and with one way to go…

They walked in silence for a long time. Cool air blew in from somewhere, chilling their sweat drenched clothes. No sign of pursuit followed, but the uncertainty of it kept their nerves on edge. "So," Link started, attempting some form of lightheartedness, "you play ocarina huh? That's an unusual talent around these parts. Maybe you're from pretty far off huh?" He kept his voice down, the echo in the tight space making the sound louder. Quentin kept walking, not responding. Link tried a different tact, "that sword possesses some powerful magic. I thought I saw you go down." Water dripped from somewhere close by. "I remember." Quentin's voice came as a dry rasp. And he told a story.

Quentin-The Past

"I come from a long line of scholars." Link looked over his shoulder, lantern light leaving half his face in shadow. "really?" I nodded, "Yes," I added, he had already turned around, "I lived in a small village with my parents. People would come from all over the land, some from distant countries to access our vast library."

Link cut me off asking, seems like a bad place for a library. Some unprotected village?" I went on, "The village unprotected? Yes. The library? No. The scrolls were kept in a vast, underground chamber. Safe from fire and theft." My inner eye saw the scene. "There were crystals imbued with magic which provided clear, even light with no flame. Almost a mile of shelves, holding many thousands of scrolls. From all over people would bring food and gifts to aid us in our search for knowledge. In return, we educated many in all manner of things. From farming, to crafting, history, you name it.

"Sounds…nice." Link voiced. From his tone I could tell it sounded horrible to him. Not for him was a life spend mostly underground cataloging and tending scrolls. I barked out a laugh. "Only the retired, some family members researching, and visitors stayed in the library!" I answered his hidden meaning. "No, the young carried the responsibility of collecting wisdom from across the land for safe keeping. We were to go and add to our great stores. I say we, but I can't include myself." My voice took on a somber edge. "I was someone who wanted to leave and 'adventure' as my parents called it, but not in the family career. The scrolls were wonderful, but I wanted something different."

"A Warrior's life?" Link asked, a smile in his voice, "We aren't paid much." "Do you do it for rupees?" I snapped, heat flaring. "No." Link murmured. "Not for that." Sensing a great sadness, my anger melted away. "I got a sword instructor. Learned a few things. Fancied getting my own."

"It's a heavy burden." Link spoke up again sounding distant. My eyes flicked down to my sword belt. "I know," I said. "I told my parents I wanted one, but weapons were not something visitors brought us. I would have to go out and get one. We receive gifts for our service, but these come in useful things like needles, cloth, things like that. Rupees are something not really seen in our village. Everything is shared out equally, or close enough. We are all family after all."

"Sounds nice." Link said urging me on. I cleared my throat. "Well that's where our troubles began-my lust for a blade."

Thunder rumbled outside the shuttered window as we all sat at table. Mother and Father were talking over some obscure piece of knowledge, and my younger sister, ten, gobbled her food like a starving man. The shutters were loose allowing chill air to penetrate the room, nudging the hanging lanterns and moving shadows across the floor and around the furniture. I pushed some food around on my plate, morose after another argument with my father. "I want to go out and find some work!" I shouted only minutes before. "I've learned as much as I can with practice swords and I'll never get any better unless I have a real one." My father, red faced, shouted right back. "You are too young to be wandering the country side, running into who knows how many bandits, who would gladly split you in half save for the fact that it would ruin that fine tunic." "You can't have me watched all the time!" "I'll just sneak out!" defiant with every word. "NOT ANOTHER WORD!" my father roared, purple now. He took some deep, calming breaths and turned to change the subject with my mother.

I was busy pushing more food off to the corner of my plate when a pounding came at the door. I dropped my fork in shock. It was quite late and nobody was expected. The knock came again, followed by a squeal from the floor boards as Father pushed his chair back. "Who calls so late at night?" he called out in a loud voice. We waited seemingly for minutes, before a reedy voice replied, "just a visitor Good Master, and one quite wet for the rain." Father harrumphed, opening the door. A shabby looking man stepped in our house soaked to the skin, throwing his hood back. He was old, the skin on his face sagged, and he possessed a large-hooked nose. Bent backed he hobbled in, trailing water over Mother's floor until he reached our blazing fire. He grinned an almost toothless smile over his shoulder at Father and thanked him saying, "Oh it's so good to be out of the chill and in a room with a warm hearth." "Got to get the cold out of these old bones." Father cleared his throat, "old man, its late. State your business." The old man's eyes twinkled and he said "I need a full belly and a pallet by the fire, and I'll share with you my greatest discovery." He cackled, and broke off in a rattling cough, "you won't believe it!"


	11. Chapter 11

Quentin- Past Mistakes

I broke off from the story as Link stopped, coming to an intersection. The way left said 'to forest' the right, 'vaults.' Link turned to the left and said, "You were saying?"

"In return for a warm bed and a meal," I started again, "he told us about a cave in a nearby mountain which contained an artifact." Hearing this, Link turned holding up the light. His gaze went down to my sword. "Yes," I said meeting his eyes. "You have to understand, my parents were obsessed with the truth. They absorbed the man's tale and wanted to see if there was any truth to it. They took the man in and fed him, begging the rest of the details from him. He happily told them, whetting their appetites." Link had stopped to look at my face, sensing a bad turn in my tale. I took a breath, "My parents wouldn't be able to go since they were too important. Healers, and thus important to the village. The job would be passed to one of the older boys, ones who were more experienced than me. I begged my father all night to let me be the one to go."

"Good for you. You gotta start somewhere right?" Link inserted. "well yeah, but I also told him if I wasn't the one, I would just sneak after him anyway." I said embarrassed.

"Ohhhh." Link turned, a grin on his face, "that's how it was huh?" "Yeah," I replied, "Father finally agreed. They sent me with a horse and enough supplies for a week. Turned out the mountain was the one three days away from my village. Sure enough, there was the cave entrance on the east side. It was not a cave." I went on, "it was a temple. The mountain face had been flattened to about two hundred feet high and carved with an elaborate facade filled with strange symbols. The entrance was lit by torches, but there was no one around. My curiosity was piqued and I tethered my horse and wandered in.

"It was clearly ancient, filled with dust and gloom. Light from the entrance showed a flat stone floor covered with dust, but no footprints. It was clear that no one had been there in years. Inside, sunlight filtered in from a skylight, allowing me to see a path leading down into the mountain. I ventured down into the darkness, using one of the torches outside to light my way. After a time, I reached the end of the ramp and came to an enormous cavern. Inside, the floor dropped away on either side of a path, thick mist covering the bottom. I couldn't make out the floor on either side of the path. There was only the walkway, at the end of which lay a stone altar. Seeing no other option, and refusing to leave empty handed, I walked to the raised stone surface." I groaned, stuck in the grip of unwanted memories. We were now walking up an incline, heading toward the surface. "I was drawn there. I had no way of knowing of the danger in that chamber."

"Danger?" Link asked, engrossed in my tale. I stopped, staring off into the distance. I was in a place Link could only follow with his voice. "Hey what's wrong?" he asked, concern painting his voice. He was reaching out to me. I had stopped and he had ventured back to get me. My memories of that day had focused my mind on the sword, and it responded. My vision, horrible in the dark tunnel with only the torch to light it, had sharpened. No longer did I need the torch to see down the tunnel. The blackness all around had turned to gray. There really was nothing to see, just a dusty tunnel covered in our boot prints. I blinked, dispelling the strange sight. "it was horrible" I said in reply, "the whole thing was a trap.

I entered the room and had eyes only for the altar and what lay upon it. It drew me to it and I let it guide my steps." I paused, causing Link to prompt me with, "and?"

"it was in two pieces." I whispered, remembering the nightmare, "on the altar lay a short sword. It was magnificent, the cross guard like two wings sweeping out. The blade double edged, sweeping up to a wicked point, but the whole thing looked like it was made of stone. The sword was incomplete, the pommel had an empty slot where something once went. I didn't touch it at first, only walked around to view it from every angle. I noticed a black jewel on the stone floor next to the altar. I knelt and picked it up for a closer look. It was iridescent, changing colors whenever you turned it…and it was the same shape as the empty spot in the stone sword.

"Oh no." Link said, knowing something bad was coming. I nodded to acknowledge his comment and said, "curiosity overcame me and I snapped the jewel into the sword. A movement of air in the underground room brought me the smell of death and decay. I turned in alarm, sword in hand and saw the mist that lay on the ground had blown away, leaving hundreds of rotten bodies in its place." Link's expression went from concern to pure horror. "They had been there the whole time and I didn't notice." I looked him in the eye, saying with slow pronunciation, "I did not see them when I walked right through the middle of them." My voice trembled, "I walked into a room full of a hundred murdered people and didn't notice!" My hands moved to cover my eyes. "The people had been brought in and murdered by the sword in my hands one at a time. I saw the chains on their hands and feet, they weren't there by choice. All of them had died from a single thrust in the heart." Moving my hands away from my eyes I instead stared at my palms. "I looked over in horror at the sword in my hand and cried out when I saw it was covered in blood, it had cut my hand when I picked it up. My blood writhed over the surface of the stone blade and sank into the brittle looking stone. It shimmered from ancient stone into a gleaming silver blade before my eyes, I felt a tugging at my waist and noticed a sheathe hanging from my belt.

Link cut me off in a whisper, "why didn't you throw it away?"

"I did, tried…. I threw it across the room and the sword sheathe disappeared. I ran past the desiccated bodies to my horse and rode home.

As I got farther away from the temple I began to calm down and by the morning of the third day I decided to pretend it never happened. I would lie to my parents and tell them it wasn't there.

I smelled the smoke at dusk. An enormous fire was burning somewhere in the direction of home and I picked up the pace. When I got within site of the buildings marking my home I cried out, mouth left gaping. My entire village was burning. Smoke poured out from broken windows and doors, glowing from within. The people that had all been like family to me lay slain, blood soaking into the ground around them. I stumbled through town, heading for my house. When I arrived an ember of hope still glowed in my chest. The sight of two burned figures laying among my burning home smothered that hope. Finding only the charred remains of my parents, I dropped to my hands and knees, and sobbed. I was unable to get any closer for the intense heat but I knew it was them. Father had a ring… The flame in my heart went out and in its place a new fire was born. An inferno of rage and hate flared hot to life within me. I threw my head back and screamed, the grief was too much for me to bear. That's what drew the perpetrators to me. I could hear shouts and the sounds of horses over the roar and crackle of the flames. I stood from my place on the ground and turned, determined to take as many with me to the grave as possible. The sounds were coming closer and closer. I clenched my fists and found something hard in my left hand. Looking down, I saw the cursed sword there, the flames around me dancing on the reflective surface. Bloodlust surged through me, something I had never felt before now. I smiled grimly, eager now that I had some way to kill, to avenge my parents. They were almost upon me, and I didn't wait for them. I sprinted around the corner, seeing them riding toward me. I was on them before they even noticed me.

The sword came up in both hands and screamed. 'Wait that was me.' The man on horseback lost his leg in an instant. The horse screamed as it was sliced open belly to tail. My blade sank deep into the horse cutting through flesh and bone until it met air once more. I completed the cut and turned, watching the horse plunge into the ground, the man screaming now.

My enemies made sounds of alarm and brought their horses around trying to see what had happened. Body lit by the fires around me, they easily made me out standing there between the buildings. Unease showed on their faces, as they saw me standing there with blood sprayed all across my face and body, black sword dripping. Nevertheless they gathered themselves to charge. There were four now, two of which were bringing their lances down to bear, coming for me. The others were circling around behind to flank. These were the men who had killed my entire village? There had to have been more. Hate dripped from my every pore. These men were already dead, they just didn't know it yet. The cursed blade in my hand pulsed, growing longer. I paid it no heed. There was killing to be done. Two men on horseback charged, lowering their lances, aiming from my chest. I ran toward them, diving over the lances. The men cursed, tried to wheel their horses around. I had hit the ground in a roll, turned and sprinted toward the men. I reached the man on the right, came past the horse's head and drove my sword in his torso. The sword came out, and the man slid from his mount dying without a sound. I felt something coming at my back and stepped to the right seeing a lance head whistle past. My arm came up, light as air, slashing through the shaft. The soldier was so expecting resistance that he over balanced and came out of his saddle. He hit the ground with an "oomph." and my blade bit deep into his neck. I spun, hyper aware as I sensed movement behind. The remaining soldiers had climbed down from their horses, seeing how I had easily dodged the others on horseback. They pulled swords and moved shields into position, advancing.

I turned hearing nothing but the roaring flames around me. Eyes stinging from the smoke and too dry for tears regarded the approaching men. I saw they wore chainmail, covered in places with dirty looking cloth. They weren't regular soldiers. I could see no royal insignia marking them as imperial men. "Bandits then," I thought gripping my sword tighter, fury renewed. My blade responded by pulsing in my hand and growing slightly longer. It was almost as if it sensed my need for a weapon with greater reach. "You're gonna die boy." One of them spat. "just like all your friends here in this village." The other man chuckled, "Lord Ganondorf said to leave no survivors, and we always deliver on a contract." They were trying to get me to do something reckless and get myself killed. "We killed the men first of course." The first man said, eyes glinting with malice, "but them women, well we had our fun with them." I yelled and ran forward teeth gritted, giving him what he wanted. I put my weight into a down slash against his right shoulder, meaning to cut him in half, but he stepped back and flicked his sword up to the side, toward my wrist. I stopped my momentum just in time to pull my blade back to catch his on the cross guard and not on my wrist. I dislodged my sword from his and jerked to the side to avoid a lunge aimed at my back by the other man. Quickly, I whirled and brought my blade around where I hoped my back stabber's neck would be. My aim was true and head was cleaved from body, trailing scarlet ribbons into the night. Quick as thought, my arm snapped over to catch my last enemy's sword. He had meant my head to go flying as well, aiming for my neck. I shoved his sword away and faced him. I smiled at him, he was the last one left to kill. We circled one another, probing for weakness. His blade flicked out and met mine in response. He couldn't get past my defenses. I began to hear the sound of thundering hooves. Instant dread swept over me as I imagined more bandits coming to back the man up. My dread drained away as I shifted my eyes to my opponents face. He had a look of desperation. 'Good.' I thought, 'they aren't here to help him then, maybe castle soldiers?' They came into sight as we continued to trade blows. "Stop!" we heard, "in the name of his majesty!" There must have been hundreds of men coming into view all around us. My opponent snarled, and hoping to make a quick exit, smashed me over the head with the pommel of his sword. I was distracted by the newcomers and too tired to see the blow coming and I lost consciousness.


End file.
